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Diploma in Introduction to
Technology

Big Data

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Contents
3 Lesson outcomes

Traditional data vs big data

5 Tools for big data

6 Applications for big data

7 References

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Lesson outcomes
In this lesson we will look at traditional data versus big data, how we
process and store big data, as well as, the 3 Vs of big data. You will learn
about tools for managing big data such as software applications, data
visualisation tools and business intelligence. We also explore how to use
big data to formulate organisational strategies and how big data is being
used in social media, e-commerce and healthcare.

Traditional data vs big data

What is big data?

Big data is characterised by its large volume of diverse data, from various sources with distributed and decentralised
control.

Traditional data Big data

• Data is structured • Unstructured

• Much smaller size • Significantly larger than traditional data
• Often centralised • Data sources are distributed
• Easier to manipulate • Much more complex to manipulate
• Compatible with traditional database • Requires special database tools

Processing and storing big data

• Processing and storing big data is not as straightforward as

with traditional databases.
• Data sources from various repositories
• Data is not standardised
• Requires more computing power
• Unknown correlations to reveal meaningful information

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The three V’s of big data

Most organisations, big or small manage a considerable amount of data generated through its various data sources
and business processes.
• Volume
• Velocity
• Variety

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Tools for big data

Tools to manage big data

• Apache Hadoop
• MongoDB
• KNIME

Extraction, transform and load (ETL)

ETL refers to the process of retrieving data from a number or sources into a data warehouse.
• Extraction
• Transform
• Load

Data visualisation tools

Data visualisation enables us to perform graphical representations of information and data -

allowing us to identify trends and patterns in our data.

Types of data visualisation

• Dashboards
• Graphs
• Infographics

Business intelligence (BI)

BI includes the use of technologies and skills for the collection, integration and analysis of
organisational information. BI systems are data driven systems that support executive decisions.

Trends in business intelligence

• Predictive analytics
• Operational business intelligence
• Increased AI adoption
• Digitisation and competitive advantage

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Applications of big data

Data-driven decisions

• Which data to acquire?

• How to represent data?
• How to extract, clean and store data?
• Which tools to use to analyse data?

Big data in social media Big data in healthcare

• Online forums • Digital medical records

• Social media services • Disease outbreak tracking
• Web blogs • Epidemiology data
• Biomedical data
Big data in e-commerce

• Transaction records
• Business reviews
• Membership records
• Credit card fraud
• Marketing analysis

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References
• Chi, H. et al. (2016) ‘How to Store and Process Big Data : Are Today ’ s Databases Sufficient ?’
• Data Warehouse Information (no date) Data Warehouse Architecture | ETL |Data Warehouse Information Center.
Available at: https://datawarehouseinfo.com/data-warehouse-architecture/
• Elgendy, N. and Elragal, A. (2016) ‘Big Data Analytics in Support of the Decision Making Process’, Procedia Computer
Science. Elsevier Masson SAS, 100, pp. 1071–1084. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.251.
• Medium (2020) Most Important Business Intelligence Trends For 2020 | by Technology Trends | Medium. Available at:
https://medium.com/@akki.greatlearning/most-important-business-intelligence-trends-for-2020-1fe65e4389ab
• Rajendran, P. K. et al. (2016) ‘Implementation and analysis of mapreduce on biomedical big data’, Indian Journal of
Science and Technology, 9(31). doi: 10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i31/83451.
• Tsou, M. H. (2015) ‘Research challenges and opportunities in mapping social media and Big Data’, Cartography and
Geographic Information Science, 42(October), pp. 70–74. doi: 10.1080/15230406.2015.1059251.
• WHISHWORKS (2017) Understanding the 3 Vs of Big Data - Volume, Velocity and Variety. Available at: https://www.
whishworks.com/blog/big-data/understanding-the-3-vs-of-big-data-volume-velocity-and-variety

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